Legal Draft Beer Co. Mural by Tex Moton

Details

Legal Draft Beer Co.

Artist: Tex Moton

Created in: 2018

Tex Moton’s design uses a bold palette of black, white, blue and grey to create a dynamic composition, while the angular geometry, clean lines, and color-blocking create a sense of motion and modern edge. The artist tagged the mural with a “This is Arlington” logo and hashtag, indicating its connection to community pride and creative placemaking.

At the time the mural was painted, the building was occupied by a local brewery, Legal Draft Beer Co., one of the first businesses to open in the Urban Union development. Moton's transformation of this commercial space has become a popular landmark for this creative and bustling part of Downtown Arlington.

Tex’s Murals in Downtown Arlington

In 2018, Tex Moton created four murals in Downtown Arlington, all within just a couple blocks of each other:

• Legal Draft Beer Co. (500 E. Division Street)
• Party Animals (207 N. Elm Street)
• Soundwave (215 E. Front Street)
• Sugar Bee Sweets (201 N. East Street)

About the Artist

Howard “Tex” Moton is a Dallas-born artist whose work spans street art, fashion and product design. He co-founded the graffiti collective Infinite Crew (IC) in 1991 while still a teenager, helping to shape the city’s urban art scene with his recognizable wildstyle. Wildstyle is an extremely elaborate form of graffiti known for its interlocking, three-dimensional letters, sharp points, arrows, and other embellishments.

Even as he moved into other creative spaces, Moton’s work stayed true to his core aesthetics: fearless interplay of clean lines, bold colors and pop culture savvy. In 2007, he co-founded YUMS (You Understand My Style), a brand that applied his graffiti-inspired designs to trend-setting headwear for mass retail. A few years later, the brand relaunched a “flavor-inspired” collection of limited-edition sneakers featuring his artwork. Moton also serves as Chief Creative Officer of Already Design Co., YUMS parent company, where he oversees product design, branding and creative partnerships.

As a creative director, Moton doesn’t follow trends. He creates them. His design collaborations have included high-profile partnerships with international brands, including several professional sports teams. Yet he remains engaged in mural installations, “blank canvases” in his words, staying rooted in the street art that first defined his visual voice.

Website: gallerydefi.io/pages/artists/tex-moton

Instagram: instagram.com/texmoton